ELON, N.C. – In a back-and-forth game at the Schar Center on Thursday night, the Towson University men's basketball team earned an 11-0 run with less than five minutes left to take the lead for good, taking down Elon 72-61 for its fifth win in a row.
 
Down with five minutes to play in a game with 11 lead changes and eight ties, Towson outscored Elon 21-8 the rest of the way for the victory.  Towson shot 19-for-20 from the free throw line in the second half to help seal the win.
 
This is the first five-game winning streak for Towson since the 2017-18 campaign.  With the win, Towson is tied for third place in the CAA at 5-3.
 
Records:

• Towson – 11-9 overall, 5-3 CAA
• Elon – 5-16 overall, 1-7 CAA

Key Stats:

• Towson went 25-for-29 from the free throw line in the game (86.2%), including 19-for-20 (95%) in the second half.  As a team, Towson shot 46.3% from the field while the defense held Elon to 29.7%, including 28.6% in the first half.
• Four Tigers finished in double digit scoring, led by Brian Fobbs with 20 points, including 4-for-5 from three-point range and 6-for-6 on the free throw line.
• Dennis Tunstall tallied up six points, seven rebounds and three blocks while Jason Gibson had 13 points, shooting 4-for-6 from the field.  Juwan Gray was a perfect 7-for-7 from the charity stripe, picking up 10 points and four boards.  Allen Betrand compiled 10 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals plus was 6-for-6 on the line.
• For Elon, each Hunter Woods and Marcus Sheffield II scored 15 points.

Postgame Quote:
Towson head coach Pat Skerry: "We were fortunate to win tonight, they have a good atmosphere in here.  We knew this was going to be a hard game, they have good schemes defensively.  I thought we played well the last eight minutes, we moved the ball well then.  To hold an opponent under 30% in this league is not easy to do."
 
How it Happened:

• Towson got off to a fast start on a steal under the basket and fast break score from Jason Gibson.  Elon primarily fired away from three as Towson looked to attack the paint.  Down 5-3, an offensive board, save from the backcourt and a strong feed to Dennis Tunstall for a layup tied the game at 5-5 four minutes in.
• Elon took the lead with a couple of threes as Towson looked to end a scoring drought of over four minutes.  Gibson drew contact and ended the drought with a couple of free throws to make it 11-7 Elon with 12:20 left in the 1^st.
• At 14-7 Elon, Towson's defense held Elon without points for almost five-and-a-half minutes.  Threes from Brian Fobbs and Gibson, followed by a free throw from Charles Thompson, tied the game at 14.  The Tigers kept the run going, locking down on defense with several deflected passes and forcing tough shots.  After a couple of Fobbs free throws to take the lead, Towson used back-to-back transition threes from Fobbs and Nicolas Timberlake to complete a 15-0 run.  The Tigers led 22-14 with 7:26 to go in the 1^st.
• The sides started to trade baskets as scoring by Jakigh Dottin and Tunstall kept Towson ahead by multiple possessions.  Tunstall's layup put the score at 26-19 Towson with 4:44 left in the period.
• Mainly off the free throw line, Elon finished the first half on a 9-0 run to lead 28-26 at the break.
• After an exchange of points into the second half, a Fobbs three up top the arc and an Allen Betrand fast break jumper gave Towson a three-point lead.  The teams kept exchanging baskets when at 14:55 in the 2^nd, Timberlake made a layup off a tough offensive board to push the Tigers ahead 38-36.
• Elon went back up 40-38 just over a minute later.  Betrand flew on a fast break and hit a layup to tie the game, then after an Elon foul next possession, he knocked down two free throws to push Towson up.  Tunstall followed with a layup in traffic to complete a 6-0 run and push the visitors up 44-40 with 10:03 left to play.
• Hunter Woods got Elon back ahead with a layup and one then a three-pointer.  Zac Ervin added another triple off an offensive rebound for a 49-44 Phoenix advantage at the under-8 media timeout.
• Juwan Gray knocked down three straight free throws, then Fobbs hit a layup down the lane to tie it up.  After some exchanges to put Elon up 53-51 with five minutes to play, Gray hit a wing three to give Towson the lead, then extended it with a couple of made free throws.  Fobbs took command with another three, his fourth of the night, to give Towson a 59-53 advantage at the final media.  Gibson added another three towards the end of the shot clock to complete the 11-0 run.  Towson led 62-53 with 2:53 to play.
• Elon had a last gasp with four straight points to get within two possessions.  Towson held the lead and extended the advantage with free throws from Fobbs, Gray and Betrand to go back into a double digit lead.  Two late Tunstall blocks helped seal the game as Towson earned the victory 72-61.

Inside the Numbers:

• Dennis Tunstall earned his 100^th career block tonight.  With three rejections, he has 101 career blocks at Towson.
• Towson has won four straight conference games by eight points or more for the first time since Jan. 27-Feb. 5, 1994.
• The Towson defense has allowed 61 or fewer points in three of its last seven games.
• Allen Betrand has scored double digit points in nine consecutive games.
• Brian Fobbs has earned at least 20 points in three of his last four contests and six times this year.
• This game was a Suits and Sneakers contest.  All members of the Towson coaching staff wore sneakers to support the Coaches vs. Cancer initiative.
• Towson has won both its games in the Schar Center, including a 77-60 victory on Dec. 28, 2018.

Up Next:
Towson heads to Williamsburg, Virginia to take on William & Mary on Saturday, Jan. 25^th at 4 p.m.  The Tribe is in first place in the CAA at 7-1.
 
Next Home Game:
Towson returns home to face UNC Wilmington on Thursday, Jan. 30^th at 7 p.m.  Towson will be recognizing the 1989-90 and 1990-91 NCAA Tournament teams.
 
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